Former US President Barack Obama meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing.
Photograph: Li Xueren/AP

Former US president Barack Obama has met with Chinese president Xi Jinping in Beijing just weeks after Donald Trump made a state visit to China.

The two were all smiles during the meeting and Chinese media fawned over Obama and Xi, dubbing the pair “veteran cadres”, a term typically applied to retired Communist officials. But in a sign of the diplomatic sensitivity, Chinese state media reported on the event in a single terse article.

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“Xi made a positive appraisal of Obama’s efforts in promoting China-US relations during his presidency,” according to a report by state news agency Xinhua.

“China and the United States have an important responsibility to safeguard world peace and stability,” Xi said according to paraphrased remarks.

Obama reportedly encouraged developing relations with China and pledged to continue to be involved in US-China ties. The visit was part of a trip that includes stops in India and France.

The obvious warmth between the two was in contrast to their sometimes fraught relationship during Obama’s tenure, who championed a “pivot to Asia” strategy meant to increase US involvement in the region. Although relations were consistently cast as positive, Obama was critical of China expansion in the South China Sea and its human rights record.

Obama’s trip also came at a time when Trump’s administration was attacking China’s economic practices. The US this week formally told the World Trade Organisation it opposes classifying China as a market economy due to widespread government subsidies. The move could lead to increased tariffs on Chinese goods.